Risztov Wins 8 Golds as Hungarian Champs End; World Champs Team Will Have World’s Oldest and Youngest Men Swimmers

By Norbert Agh

SZEKESFEHERVAR, Hungary, June 23. Risztov, who at 17, seems to possess boundless energy, wound up with eight gold medals at the Hungarian National Championships and World Championship Trials in Szekesfehervar which ended on Sunday. It was the top individual performance of the four-day meet.

Over the weekend, Risztov won the 200 meter free (2:01.48), the 400 IM (4:43.54), 800 free (8:44.53), 100 fly (1:00.86) and anchored her Budapest Spartacus team to victory in the 400 medley relay (4:16.45). She also collected a silver today in the 800 free relay. Earlier in the meet she had won the 400 and 1500 free and 200 fly. In addition, she swam on the second-place 400 free relay. Her total haul: 8 gold and 2 silver medals.

Thirty-five year-old Karoly Guttler, an Olympic silver medalist in the 100 meter breaststroke in 1988, earned a spot on the World Championships team by winning the 50m breast. On Friday he had placed second in the 100 (1:02.24).

Just-turned 14 year-old Dani Gyurta was second in the 200 breast in 2:17.19 in a race won by Richard Bodor in 2:16.01. Bodor also won the 100 in 1:01.67. Gyurtaa, however, was named to the World Championship team on the basis of the 2:14 he swam two months ago as a 13 year-old.

Hungary thus will boast the oldest man — Guttler — and the youngest man — Gyurta — in the competition in Barcelona. Both have an excellent shot at making finals.

In other highlights: Peter Horvath won the 100 back in 55.52; Tamas Kerekjjarto took the 200 IM in 2:01.51; Attila Zubor won the 100 free in 49.80; Viktor Bodrogi stroked to a 2:00.13 win in the 200 back; Zsolt Gaspar took the 100 fly in 53.91; and Laszlo Cseh was the winner of the 400 IM in 4:19.19.

On the women's side, Spartacus' Diana Remenyi, who earlier upset Agnes Kovacs in the 100m breast, won the 200 meters by over five seconds, clocking 2:29.68, as Kovacs withdrew due to illness.